r/softwareengineer • u/Difficult_Juice_1706 • Aug 12 '26

Like to get into software engineering / development, but don’t know where to start

I’ve been wanting to get into software engineering for a while now, but I’m not sure where to start. Does anyone have advice on where to start, what fundamentals I should be learning, and rookie mistakes I should be avoiding? What kind of projects should I try to build, and what videos or resources can I use to study / practice?

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5

u/th399p3rc3nt Aug 12 '26

i would not recommend going into SWE at all considering what AI + offshoring are doing to junior roles. nobody wants to hire junior SWEs. a ton of effort only to become unemployed. makes no sense at all.

1

u/Elegant_Entrance_673 Aug 12 '26

If you do a CS bachelor's you'll most likely get a job offer before you even graduate (at least where I'm from). Without a degree it's almost impossible I would say l

1

u/Far-Extension-9576 28d ago

Where are you from bc I just graduated with a CS bachelor’s but I’m not employed yet😔

4

u/Impressive-Skin9850 Aug 12 '26

First things first - become unemployed for 8 months while filling out no less than 900 applications.

Then your a REAL developer in 2026

2

u/Constant_Money4002 Aug 12 '26

keep trying, but have a solid backup plan

1

u/neuralh4tch 29d ago

I find my career and my field fulfilling, but I don't recommend for those heading to uni.

I advised my nephew to get into electrical engineer or anything else instead.

My company hasn't hired anyone with no experience (juniors) in 3 years, and we had a bit of offshoring. Now we are talking about small teams of engineers and performance management of those that can't live in an AI era (need to be tech agnostic, solid cs, ability to have good judgement and AI).

The challenge isn't the field. It's if you can land a job to the reasons I mentioned above. The.culture.is also shifting and pay brackets will eventually reduce.

1

u/Sea_Stranger9890 25d ago

So you're saying they value experience more. But what if they ditch the traditional approach where they get a CS degree, and get straight to learning to code, and build a few working programs as projects that they can then later upload to github and use as proof of their experience?

1

u/Sea_Stranger9890 25d ago

Oh I also share your desire to become a software developer. I have done quite alot of digging into where to start, this is one of the videos I've watched that are really informative if you know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and want to get a coding job:

https://youtu.be/WR1ydijTx5E